North Side pizza restaurant is latest for family

The Nader family has been making pizza and other Italian favorites since 2009, and recently opened its fifth location.

“I think what we try to personify here is more like a family friendly atmosphere with really good food without having to break the bank,” said Charbel Nader, owner and manager.

Ray’s Pizzaria is located at 17700 U.S. 281 North, Suite 108 in the Arbor Park shopping center. The first location is at 7214 Blanco Road, with others on Fredericksburg Road, Walzem Road and in Universal City.

Ray’s Pizzaria features New York-style pies, subs, wings, pasta and its owners pride themselves on making all of their sauces and fresh dough every day from scratch.

“We actually use a brick oven, so you’re going to get the pizza cooked at 600 degrees. It’s not going to go through like a conveyor belt, which is basically the equivalent of a microwave,” Nader said.

The new restaurant has daily lunch specials. Some of the favorite dishes include chicken Parmesan and eggplant Parmesan.

Nader didn’t always want to be in the restaurant industry, but after switching his major from pharmacy to business while studying at the University of the Incarnate Word, it made sense to him to join the family concern.

“I brought my passion to it. I started learning how to cook, started learning how to cook really good, started liking it more,” Nader said. “It’s a lot of work, but no matter what you do, it’s going to take a lot of work and grind, so I might as well just work with my family.”